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switchyard_libsy/algorithms/
advisor_gate.rs

1// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
2// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
3
4//! Executor gated by a once-per-session advisor review.
5//!
6//! The executor answers every client-visible turn. Turns with tool calls pass
7//! through unreviewed; the first *terminal* turn — no tool calls (or a text
8//! match under the `pattern` trigger) — is buffered and shown to a stronger
9//! advisor model together with the full transcript. `APPROVE` releases the
10//! buffered turn unchanged; `REDO` appends the discarded turn's text and the
11//! advisor's plan as feedback, then re-invokes the executor so it keeps
12//! working. Each budget scope (one benchmark evaluation, one session, or the
13//! whole instance — see [`budget::budget_scope`]) is reviewed at most
14//! `max_reviews` times; afterwards every call is a pure passthrough.
15//!
16//! This design is a near-superset of solo executor behavior: identical until
17//! the executor first claims to be done, plus one quality gate that catches
18//! premature convergence. Front-loading advice was measured to suppress the
19//! executor's own test-and-iterate loop, so no advice is injected up front.
20//!
21//! Failure posture: executor errors always propagate (including
22//! `ContextWindowExceeded`, which hosts map to a client-visible 400 so agent
23//! harnesses can compact). Advisor errors honor `fail_open` — the buffered
24//! turn passes through as an implicit APPROVE — refund the consumed review,
25//! and count toward a per-scope failure cap that stops consulting a down
26//! advisor entirely.
27//!
28//! Structure: [`AdvisorGate`] is a thin orchestrator — the [`signals`]
29//! processor folds each event's facts into per-turn state, the [`trigger`]
30//! classifier reads them after the executor call, and the [`budget`] ledger
31//! holds the only mutable state.
32
33use std::sync::Arc;
34use std::time::Instant;
35
36use switchyard_protocol::{
37    ContentBlock, InstructionBlock, LlmRequest, Message, ModelId, OutputParams, Request, Role,
38    SamplingParams,
39};
40
41use crate::core::algorithm::{Algorithm, Driver, RoutingOutcome};
42use crate::core::processor::{Event, Processor};
43use crate::{LibsyError, Result};
44
45mod budget;
46mod signals;
47mod telemetry;
48#[cfg(test)]
49mod tests;
50mod transcript;
51mod trigger;
52mod turn;
53
54use budget::{ReviewBudget, ScopeKey, budget_scope, stall_key};
55use signals::{GateSignalProcessor, GateSignals};
56use telemetry::{
57    ReviewAudit, emit_discarded_audit, emit_review_audit, record_consult_failure, record_discarded,
58    record_review,
59};
60use transcript::{VERDICT_PATTERN, Verdict, advisor_reply_text, parse_verdict, review_transcript};
61use trigger::TriggerClassifier;
62#[cfg(test)]
63use turn::has_tool_use;
64use turn::{GatedTurn, buffer_turn, reasoning_text, visible_text};
65
66/// APPROVE/REDO reviewer contract sent as the advisor's system prompt.
67pub const REVIEWER_SYSTEM_PROMPT: &str =
68    include_str!("../prompts/advisor-gate/reviewer-system-prompt.md");
69
70/// Prepended to the advisor's REDO plan when it is fed back as a user turn,
71/// instructing the executor to continue rather than stop.
72pub const REDO_FEEDBACK_PREFIX: &str = concat!(
73    include_str!("../prompts/advisor-gate/redo-feedback-prefix.md"),
74    "\n"
75);
76
77/// Labels the executor's internal reasoning when a turn has no visible text,
78/// so the advisor still has evidence to review (reasoning models on vLLM/NIM
79/// can emit turns whose only output is reasoning).
80const REASONING_TAIL_LABEL: &str =
81    "(the executor produced no visible text this turn; its internal reasoning follows)\n";
82/// REDO echo when the discarded turn had neither text nor reasoning; strict
83/// endpoints (Anthropic) reject empty text blocks, so never echo "".
84const EMPTY_ECHO_PLACEHOLDER: &str = "(the executor produced no output this turn)";
85/// Benchmark harnesses stamp every request of one evaluation — sub-agents
86/// included — with this header, so it is the review budget's first-choice
87/// scope: "reviews for *this* task" survives gateways shared by many tasks.
88const BENCH_SESSION_HEADER: &str = "proxy_x_session_id";
89
90/// How the gate decides a buffered executor turn is terminal.
91#[derive(Clone, Debug, PartialEq)]
92pub enum GateTrigger {
93    /// First turn without tool calls (subject to `gate_min_tool_results`).
94    NoToolCall,
95    /// First turn whose visible text matches this regex (searched, not anchored) —
96    /// for text-protocol harnesses where every turn lacks tool calls and
97    /// completion is declared with a textual marker instead.
98    Pattern(String),
99}
100
101/// Gate knobs; defaults mirror the benchmarked Python advisor configuration.
102#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
103pub struct AdvisorGateConfig {
104    /// System prompt for the advisor's review call; states the APPROVE/REDO contract.
105    pub reviewer_system_prompt: String,
106    /// Prepended to the advisor's REDO plan when fed back to the executor.
107    pub redo_feedback_prefix: String,
108    /// What fires the review.
109    pub gate_trigger: GateTrigger,
110    /// Reviews allowed per budget scope. 1 keeps the original once-per-task
111    /// gate; higher values re-review later terminal turns, making the gate a
112    /// sequential best-of-(N+1) with the advisor as judge.
113    pub max_reviews: u32,
114    /// When > 0, additionally review (once per conversation, consuming budget)
115    /// the first request already carrying at least this many assistant turns —
116    /// a mid-task checkpoint for executors that grind without declaring
117    /// completion. 0 disables.
118    pub gate_stall_turns: u32,
119    /// For the `no_tool_call` trigger: only review once the conversation
120    /// carries at least this many tool results, skipping early commentary
121    /// turns on chatty harnesses. 0 reviews from the first terminal turn.
122    pub gate_min_tool_results: u32,
123    /// Cap on the advisor's output per consult.
124    pub advisor_max_tokens: u64,
125    /// Sampling temperature for the consult; `None` omits the field on the wire.
126    pub advisor_temperature: Option<f64>,
127    /// Cap on the serialized transcript handed to the advisor; the middle of
128    /// an over-cap conversation is dropped (task head + recent tail survive).
129    pub transcript_max_chars: usize,
130    /// When true (default), an advisor failure degrades to APPROVE; when
131    /// false, it propagates as the turn's error.
132    pub fail_open: bool,
133}
134
135impl Default for AdvisorGateConfig {
136    fn default() -> Self {
137        Self {
138            reviewer_system_prompt: REVIEWER_SYSTEM_PROMPT.to_string(),
139            redo_feedback_prefix: REDO_FEEDBACK_PREFIX.to_string(),
140            gate_trigger: GateTrigger::NoToolCall,
141            max_reviews: 1,
142            gate_stall_turns: 0,
143            gate_min_tool_results: 0,
144            advisor_max_tokens: 2048,
145            advisor_temperature: None,
146            transcript_max_chars: 200_000,
147            fail_open: true,
148        }
149    }
150}
151
152/// Advisor review gate: executor turns pass through until the first terminal
153/// turn, which a stronger advisor reviews once per scope budget (APPROVE
154/// releases it, REDO feeds the plan back and re-invokes the executor).
155pub struct AdvisorGate {
156    executor: ModelId,
157    advisor: ModelId,
158    config: AdvisorGateConfig,
159    /// Folds request- and response-side facts into the per-turn [`GateSignals`].
160    signals: GateSignalProcessor,
161    /// Decides, from the signals, whether the buffered turn warrants review.
162    trigger: TriggerClassifier,
163    /// Reserve/refund review ledger and stall latch — the gate's only mutable state.
164    budget: ReviewBudget,
165    verdict_re: regex::Regex,
166}
167
168impl AdvisorGate {
169    /// Validates ranges and compiles the trigger and verdict patterns.
170    pub fn new(executor: ModelId, advisor: ModelId, config: AdvisorGateConfig) -> Result<Self> {
171        if config.max_reviews < 1 {
172            return Err(algorithm_error("max_reviews must be at least 1"));
173        }
174        if config.advisor_max_tokens < 1 {
175            return Err(algorithm_error("advisor_max_tokens must be at least 1"));
176        }
177        if config.transcript_max_chars < 256 {
178            return Err(algorithm_error("transcript_max_chars must be at least 256"));
179        }
180        let trigger = TriggerClassifier::new(&config)?;
181        let verdict_re = regex::Regex::new(VERDICT_PATTERN).map_err(|error| {
182            algorithm_error(format!("verdict pattern failed to compile: {error}"))
183        })?;
184        let budget = ReviewBudget::new(config.max_reviews);
185        Ok(Self {
186            executor,
187            advisor,
188            config,
189            signals: GateSignalProcessor,
190            trigger,
191            budget,
192            verdict_re,
193        })
194    }
195
196    // ── Gate flow ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
197
198    async fn route_inner(
199        &self,
200        driver: &Driver,
201        request: Request,
202        scope: &ScopeKey,
203    ) -> Result<RoutingOutcome> {
204        // Spent budget (or failure cap): pure passthrough — live stream,
205        // verbatim preserved-body replay, zero buffering. Executor errors
206        // (including ContextWindowExceeded) propagate for the host's
207        // client-visible mapping.
208        if self.budget.check_exhausted(scope) {
209            return Ok(RoutingOutcome::route_to(
210                self.executor.clone(),
211                Vec::new(),
212                request,
213            ));
214        }
215
216        // Request-side signals fold in before the executor runs.
217        let mut request = request;
218        let mut signals = GateSignals::default();
219        self.signals
220            .process(
221                &mut signals,
222                Event::Request {
223                    request: &mut request,
224                    driver: Some(driver),
225                },
226            )
227            .await?;
228
229        // Gated phase: generate the turn once, fully buffered, so the gate
230        // can inspect it before the client sees anything.
231        let response = driver
232            .call_model(request.clone(), vec![self.executor.clone()])
233            .await?;
234        let turn = buffer_turn(self.executor.as_str(), response).await?;
235
236        // Response-side signals fold in after it: the terminal turn never
237        // appears on a later request, so the trigger runs on this event.
238        self.signals
239            .process(&mut signals, Event::ModelResponse(&turn.agg))
240            .await?;
241
242        let decision = self.trigger.classify(&signals);
243        // The stall checkpoint fires once per conversation regardless of the
244        // turn's shape. Only a stall with no simultaneous trigger latches
245        // (atomically — one winner per conversation), so a refunded review
246        // leaves the checkpoint re-armed.
247        let stall = decision.fired.is_none()
248            && decision.stalled
249            && self.budget.try_mark_stall_fired(stall_key(&request));
250        if decision.fired.is_none() && !stall {
251            return Ok(RoutingOutcome::answered(
252                self.executor.clone(),
253                request,
254                turn.into_response(),
255            ));
256        }
257        if !self.budget.try_reserve(scope) {
258            return Ok(RoutingOutcome::answered(
259                self.executor.clone(),
260                request,
261                turn.into_response(),
262            ));
263        }
264
265        let trigger_label = decision.fired.unwrap_or("stall");
266        let review_tail = visible_text(&turn.agg).or_else(|| {
267            reasoning_text(&turn.agg).map(|reasoning| format!("{REASONING_TAIL_LABEL}{reasoning}"))
268        });
269        match self
270            .consult(driver, &request, review_tail.as_deref(), trigger_label)
271            .await
272        {
273            Ok(ConsultOutcome::Approve) => {
274                driver.set_evidence(serde_json::json!({
275                    "source": "advisor",
276                    "verdict": "approve",
277                    "trigger": trigger_label,
278                }));
279                Ok(RoutingOutcome::answered(
280                    self.executor.clone(),
281                    request,
282                    turn.into_response(),
283                ))
284            }
285            Ok(ConsultOutcome::Redo { plan }) => {
286                driver.set_evidence(serde_json::json!({
287                    "source": "advisor",
288                    "verdict": "redo",
289                    "trigger": trigger_label,
290                }));
291                Ok(self.redo(request, turn, &plan))
292            }
293            Ok(ConsultOutcome::Failed { reason }) => {
294                self.budget.refund_failure(scope);
295                driver.set_evidence(serde_json::json!({
296                    "source": "advisor",
297                    "verdict": "fail_open",
298                    "trigger": trigger_label,
299                    "reason_code": reason,
300                }));
301                Ok(RoutingOutcome::answered(
302                    self.executor.clone(),
303                    request,
304                    turn.into_response(),
305                ))
306            }
307            Err(error) => {
308                self.budget.refund_failure(scope);
309                Err(error)
310            }
311        }
312    }
313
314    /// REDO: the client never sees the gated turn. Its text (or reasoning) is
315    /// echoed as an assistant message, the advisor's plan follows as user
316    /// feedback, and the executor continues as a pure passthrough call.
317    fn redo(&self, request: Request, turn: GatedTurn, plan: &str) -> RoutingOutcome {
318        record_discarded(&turn.agg.usage);
319        emit_discarded_audit(self.executor.as_str(), &turn.agg.usage);
320        let echo = visible_text(&turn.agg)
321            .or_else(|| reasoning_text(&turn.agg))
322            .unwrap_or_else(|| EMPTY_ECHO_PLACEHOLDER.to_string());
323        let mut redo = request;
324        redo.llm_request
325            .messages
326            .push(Message::text(Role::Assistant, echo));
327        redo.llm_request.messages.push(Message::text(
328            Role::User,
329            format!("{}{}", self.config.redo_feedback_prefix, plan),
330        ));
331        // Mandatory after any message mutation: codecs otherwise replay the
332        // preserved pre-surgery body verbatim and the feedback never reaches
333        // the executor.
334        crate::algorithms::util::prompts::drop_exact_replay(&mut redo);
335        RoutingOutcome::route_to(self.executor.clone(), Vec::new(), redo)
336    }
337
338    /// Consults the advisor over the buffered transcript and parses the
339    /// verdict. `Ok(Failed)` covers fail-open errors and unparseable replies
340    /// (the caller refunds); fail-closed errors return `Err`.
341    async fn consult(
342        &self,
343        driver: &Driver,
344        base: &Request,
345        review_tail: Option<&str>,
346        trigger: &'static str,
347    ) -> Result<ConsultOutcome> {
348        // The advisor reviews the FULL transcript: system/developer content is
349        // normalized out of `messages` into `instructions`, so prepend it back
350        // as leading messages (identical {role, content} shape) — the task
351        // constraints the verdict must check against usually live there.
352        let transcript_messages: Vec<Message> = base
353            .llm_request
354            .instructions
355            .iter()
356            .map(|block| Message {
357                role: block.role,
358                content: block.content.clone(),
359            })
360            .chain(base.llm_request.messages.iter().cloned())
361            .collect();
362        let transcript = review_transcript(
363            &transcript_messages,
364            review_tail,
365            self.config.transcript_max_chars,
366        );
367        let consult_request = self.build_consult_request(base, transcript);
368        let started = Instant::now();
369        let reply = match driver
370            .call_model(consult_request, vec![self.advisor.clone()])
371            .await
372        {
373            Ok(response) => response
374                .llm_response
375                .into_agg()
376                .await
377                .map_err(|source| LibsyError::client_call(self.advisor.clone(), source)),
378            Err(error) => Err(error),
379        };
380        let latency_ms = started.elapsed().as_secs_f64() * 1000.0;
381        let agg = match reply {
382            Ok(agg) => agg,
383            Err(error) => {
384                let reason = crate::algorithms::util::llm_judge::libsy_error_reason(&error);
385                record_consult_failure(reason);
386                if !self.config.fail_open {
387                    // Surface as an algorithm failure (5xx), never as the
388                    // advisor's own client error: a typed ContextWindowExceeded
389                    // from the consult would otherwise reach the client as 400
390                    // context_length_exceeded and trigger compaction of a
391                    // healthy conversation.
392                    return Err(algorithm_error(format!(
393                        "advisor consult failed (fail_open = false): {error}"
394                    )));
395                }
396                tracing::warn!(
397                    target: "libsy",
398                    error = %error,
399                    "advisor gate: consult failed; passing the turn through (fail open)"
400                );
401                emit_review_audit(ReviewAudit {
402                    verdict: "APPROVE",
403                    error: Some(error.to_string()),
404                    latency_ms,
405                    reply_head: None,
406                    usage: None,
407                });
408                return Ok(ConsultOutcome::Failed { reason });
409            }
410        };
411        let reply_text = advisor_reply_text(&agg);
412        let reply_head: String = reply_text.chars().take(160).collect();
413        match parse_verdict(&self.verdict_re, &reply_text) {
414            Some(Verdict::Approve) => {
415                record_review("approve", trigger);
416                emit_review_audit(ReviewAudit {
417                    verdict: "APPROVE",
418                    error: None,
419                    latency_ms,
420                    reply_head: Some(reply_head),
421                    usage: Some(&agg.usage),
422                });
423                Ok(ConsultOutcome::Approve)
424            }
425            Some(Verdict::Redo { plan }) => {
426                record_review("redo", trigger);
427                emit_review_audit(ReviewAudit {
428                    verdict: "REDO",
429                    error: None,
430                    latency_ms,
431                    reply_head: Some(reply_head),
432                    usage: Some(&agg.usage),
433                });
434                Ok(ConsultOutcome::Redo { plan })
435            }
436            None => {
437                // The advisor spent real tokens on a reply the gate cannot
438                // act on; the observer already recorded them. Refunded by
439                // the caller so a flaky advisor cannot burn the budget.
440                record_review("unparseable", trigger);
441                emit_review_audit(ReviewAudit {
442                    verdict: "UNPARSEABLE",
443                    error: None,
444                    latency_ms,
445                    reply_head: Some(reply_head),
446                    usage: Some(&agg.usage),
447                });
448                Ok(ConsultOutcome::Failed {
449                    reason: "parse_error",
450                })
451            }
452        }
453    }
454
455    /// A fresh, buffered, tool-free request carrying the reviewer contract and
456    /// the serialized transcript; metadata is kept for session correlation.
457    fn build_consult_request(&self, base: &Request, transcript: String) -> Request {
458        Request {
459            llm_request: LlmRequest {
460                model: base.llm_request.model.clone(),
461                instructions: vec![InstructionBlock {
462                    role: Role::System,
463                    content: vec![ContentBlock::Text {
464                        text: self.config.reviewer_system_prompt.clone(),
465                    }],
466                }],
467                messages: vec![Message::text(Role::User, transcript)],
468                sampling: SamplingParams {
469                    temperature: self.config.advisor_temperature,
470                    ..SamplingParams::default()
471                },
472                output: OutputParams {
473                    max_output_tokens: Some(self.config.advisor_max_tokens),
474                    response_format: None,
475                },
476                ..LlmRequest::default()
477            },
478            raw_request: None,
479            metadata: base.metadata.clone(),
480        }
481    }
482}
483
484#[async_trait::async_trait]
485impl Algorithm for AdvisorGate {
486    fn name(&self) -> &str {
487        "advisor_gate"
488    }
489
490    async fn route(self: Arc<Self>, driver: Driver, request: Request) -> Result<RoutingOutcome> {
491        let scope = budget_scope(&request);
492        let session_final = request
493            .metadata
494            .as_ref()
495            .and_then(|metadata| metadata.session_final)
496            == Some(true);
497        let result = self.route_inner(&driver, request, &scope).await;
498        if session_final {
499            self.budget.evict_scope(&scope);
500        }
501        result
502    }
503}
504
505/// Outcome of one consult; `Failed` = fail-open error or unparseable reply.
506enum ConsultOutcome {
507    Approve,
508    Redo { plan: String },
509    Failed { reason: &'static str },
510}
511
512fn algorithm_error(message: impl Into<String>) -> LibsyError {
513    LibsyError::AlgorithmError {
514        message: message.into(),
515    }
516}